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JEE Advanced levelSingle correct optionDifficulty 3 of 3nm273

How many stereoisomers (configurational isomers, optical and geometrical together, counting a meso form once) does the constitution shown have?

  1. A2
  2. B3
  3. C4
  4. D5

Answer: B

The compound is 2,3-dichlorobutane, with two stereocentres (C2, C3) bearing identical substituent sets. The labelled combinations collapse because (2R,3S) and (2S,3R) are the same meso compound, leaving (2R,3R), (2S,3S) and meso: 3 stereoisomers (confirmed with RDKit).
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